


Masquerade

by Dreamsparkle



Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies)
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, M/M, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-04
Updated: 2012-11-04
Packaged: 2017-11-17 23:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/554541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamsparkle/pseuds/Dreamsparkle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edmund loves a mysterious voice on the phone and decides to final meet him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Masquerade

“Edmund,” Caspian, his brother shouted for him downstairs. He jumped, forgetting Caspian had no way of knowing he was eavesdropping. He must just be calling him downstairs. Trying to hide his spreading blush at the thought of getting caught, he trotted up to Cas pretending he was bored.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Peter wants to talk to you.” He said, dangling the phone towards him. The way his hand snatched the phone at that, he couldn’t help. If he had any hope Caspian wouldn’t notice it, it was dashed with that knowing smirk.

“Shut up.” Edmund glared as his brother grinned at him all the way back to his room. Back to Susan, no doubt.

He put the phone to his ear, trying to sound calm, as if there weren’t butterflies fighting in his stomach. “Hey,”

“Hey, Edmund, what have you been up to?” Peter’s voice on the phone always made him smile. It’s strange to think they had never actually met because they knew each other so well. Peter was Caspian’s friend and Susan’s older brother. When the two had started going out, Peter rang the house when it was time for Susan to come home.

Edmund had only picked up the phone because no one else would answer it one afternoon and standing outside the door to Caspian’s room back then had explained why . It had traumatised him for life. He hoped he would never have to hear _that_ again in his lifetime.

Trying to explain _that_ to Peter had been embarrassing. Peter, had taken pity on him and had started talking to him about something else. An hour later he was still talking and Caspian came to take the phone. He’d been pretty dejected and had had to remind himself that Peter wasn’t his friend to claim.

After that, he’d tried to answer the phone first. Caspian and Susan never seemed to mind as it gave them longer before Peter told her to come home. Even when Caspian answered first, he passed the phone over. He didn’t know whether Peter asked to speak to him or if Susan just didn’t want to go home but he was just pleased to hear his voice.

Okay, so he knew he was in love with a voice on a phone and that was terribly pathetic after 3 months but he didn’t have the nerve to ask to meet up and Peter hadn’t suggested it either. Every time he thought about it, he immediately wondered if Peter just saw him as his friends little brother and would be embarrassed to learn a kid had a crush on him.

He’d set up a plan though. They were having a masquerade ball on Saturday at Caspian’s University. He’d managed to get one of his friends that go there to buy him a ticket. This way he could meet Peter while hiding who he was, himself.

Saturday came too soon. He had his costume. Maroon shirt with baggy sleeves like they used to have in old fashioned times; leather waistcoat, pants and knee high leather boots. His mask was a silvery slightly metal concoction he’d snagged from the nearest junk shop. It covered half his face so even though it was slightly girly he took it.

The party had been going on for an hour by the time he got there. He slunk into the shadows to watch. He saw his brother and Susan, despite the masks. Which other couple both had girly long hair, he laughed. The one thing perfect for making Cas mad was teasing how girly he looked.

He went to the bar and bought a coke before drifting to a dark corner to watch.

\---

Peter was just talking to his friends when he was mobbed by his sister and her boyfriend. They dragged him out into the corridor where it was quieter. He liked Caspian but never really thought of him as a close friend. They were both leaders and inevitably started fighting if they talked for too long. So he was a bit annoyed when they pulled him aside.

“Hey, what’s your problem?” He shouted.

“Well, Pete.” Susan said and Peter groaned. That was the tone she used when she was trying to be smart and it usually backfired terribly. “There’s this guy who’s my friend and he has a total crush on you. It’d be great if you could just ask him to dance.”

Peter frowned. “Sorry, I’m really not looking to go out with anyone right now.” He was kind of already in love with someone and he knew Susan and Caspian already suspected who. Maybe this was their way of telling him to let go and move on. He didn’t think he could.

“It’s not a date, just a dance. Please. I’ll owe you one.” Susan begged. Peter wondered if that was worth it.

“You’re not setting me up are you because if you’re just trying to embarrass me by getting me rejected for no reason I swear I’ll...” Peter growled.

“Don’t worry; he won’t even mind you’re weird style of dancing.” Caspian smirked.

“Where is he?” Peter conceded. They pointed him out through the window. It was hard to make him out, he blended with the shadow so well. He was actually kind of attractive, so Peter wondered what the catch was. He glared at Caspian and Susan, he knew they were up to something but without a reason he decided to go.

When he approached, the guy met his eyes. He was even more attractive this close up. He wondered why he hadn’t already been approached to dance. From what he could see, not hidden by the mask, the guy had the darkest sweeping brown hair that tangled gorgeously. His mouth was a sinful rosy pout leading to high cheekbones. He was like Peter’s most perfect fantasy come to life.

“Um, hi.” Peter smiled to rid his sudden anxiety. The guy didn’t answer and Peter wondered if Susan had indeed set him up. “Want to dance?” He held out his hand, in a blind leap of faith hoping he wasn’t fooling himself. When the guy took it with a smile, he tried to hide his sigh of relief. It was well known Peter couldn’t dance well but that he liked to. He liked to spin the person he was with and dip them and just sway. Those things he would manage and were fun.

The guy laughed when he danced like that with him and went along with it, which made Peter like him all the more. Not enough to consider going out with him. It wouldn’t be fair when he was in love with another.

They danced for ages, until their feet hurt. Peter took him to the edge to talk a little and was a bit annoyed when Caspian and Susan immediately joined them, flushed from their own dancing.

“So, how are you two doing?” Caspian grinned smugly. The guy froze and it was clear in the way he tensed, he was wondering whether to run or not. Eventually, the way Caspian was looking at him made him slump in defeat. Were they friends or weren’t they?

“We’re fine.” Peter told him. “Maybe you could go and buy some drinks for me and...” He’d forgotten in all the fun that he hadn’t even asked the guy his name. He blushed.

“Edmund.” The guy replied and he knew that voice, he answered the phone like that too.

“Edmund. You’re brother Edmund?” He asked Caspian. Susan looked at him like he was the biggest moron ever.

“Why did you ask me to dance with him?” The question came out wrong. He’d meant he was confused because Caspian had always seemed so overprotective of Edmund. He’d certainly seemed angry at him when they had first started tentatively getting to know each other over the phone. Yet it didn’t stop him because he couldn’t forget that musical voice on the phone being smart and funny with a sarcastic mean streak. Now he’d set them up to dance? He felt he was getting mixed signals. Yet his shock made it sound like he was repulsed when that was the last thing he was.

“You asked him to dance with me?!” Edmund shouted angrily. He’d left the hall before anyone could think to stop him.

“Great, idiot!” Caspian growled at him, “Follow him.”

Peter looked to Susan for help. “I’m confused.”

Susan snapped. “You’re always confused.”

“I thought Caspian wanted me nowhere near his little brother.”Peter tried.

She sighed “Well, maybe at first but you should see how happy Edmund looks when talking to you. Cas says it’s rare to see him smile let alone laugh. He wasn’t going to stop that. Then he noticed Ed had snuck into the party. A mask was hardly going to stop Caspian recognising him, was it? It was too perfect a situation to get you two to meet.”

“Why could you not just introduce us like normal people?” Peter snapped back.

“Okay, that was for fun but we didn’t think you could screw up this bad.” Susan pointed out and Peter chased after him. He hoped Edmund would talk to him again.

\---

Edmund was humiliated. How could Caspian do that to him? He kept walking, out the university, down the street. If Peter hated him now, he didn’t know what he would do. He loved him and it hurt to think about not being able to talk to him again. He dragged the mask off of his face to wipe at the pressure building in his eyes.

He was not going to cry. He never cried, so much so people mentioned it to him.

Peter had looked like King Arthur, how ridiculous was that; in the old fashioned clothes of the masquerade ball even more so. Edmund half expected him to pull out a sword. He was sweet and funny and had a strange way of dancing that made Edmund feel like he was floating, like he was being taken care of. He remembered Peter’s arms around him.

“Ed... Edmund...” He heard someone shout and kept walking, hoping they wouldn’t chase after him. No luck there. When the person got close he stopped before they had to grab him. He’d expected Caspian or Susan; he hadn’t expected Peter to bother chasing him.

Peter drew up short when he turned around and looked slightly awed. It was then he realised, this was the first time Peter had seen him without a mask. He didn’t think he looked that young. He scowled and looked down.

“ I’m so sorry for back in there. That came out wrong. I really did enjoy dancing with you.” Peter apologised. He was very good at it, sounding hopeful and respectful. Edmund found himself jealous because even when he was truly, truly sorry about something, his apologies still sounded angry and insincere.

“It’s fine.” He assured him.

“Why didn’t you say anything? It’s like you were hiding who you were from me.” Peter asked.

“I was,” Edmund mumbled bitterly then realised when Peter looked hurt he was going to have to explain. “I thought since you never asked to meet me, you didn’t really want to. I didn’t want to be one of those kids who latched on to a person and annoyed them.”

“You never could annoy me.” Peter denied automatically,” I mean I really like you...”

“But...?” Edmund prompted expecting a reason they couldn’t be together. Peter smiled and shook his head.

“But do you like me?” Peter asked and Edmund looked at him incredulous. As if tonight didn’t prove that. When Peter just looked hopeful he sighed, giving up.

“I might... a little...” He shrugged, smirking. His smile dropped when Peter turned slightly putting his arm up to the lamppost and his forehead to his arm in a gesture of defeat. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Peter reassured. His face was red from blushing. Edmund wondered what he had said. “Will you come to the dance with me? ...As... as my date?”

“As long as my brother didn’t ask you to ask me this time.” Edmund chastised.

  
  



End file.
